COMING SOON ONTRUTH-- PROOF OF WHY NIGERIA MILITARY IS NOT WELL EQUIPPED

COMING SOON ON TRUTH-- HOW PASTORS FORCE MEMBERS TO SOW SEEDS IN PENTECOSTAL CHURCH'S

Boko Haram negotiator explodes Again: ‘How Shekau went wild, started beheading victims’

 Amid the dust raised by his allegation linking a former governor of Borno State, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, and an erstwhile Chief of the Army Staff, Lt. General Azubuike Ihejirika, with the sponsorship of Boko Haram, an Australian negotiator, Dr. Stephen Davis, at the weekend, gave insight into how Abubakar Shekau hijacked the Islamist group.
“The Boko Haram we see today is not the Jama’atu Ahlul Sunnah Lih Da’awa wal Jihad (JAS) that was operational under Yusuf – former  JAS leader killed by the police in 2009”, Davis told Sunday Vanguard in an interview.
In the interview conducted online, the negotiator said: “Shekau formed Ansaru which he used for kidnapping and beheading victims.  This behaviour was a major departure from the original mandate of the JAS which was to purify Islam and return it to the exemplary life of the Prophet. Many among the JAS leadership are no longer active and others have been killed. This has allowed Shekau to take the JAS to a more extreme action and expand the frontiers of kidnapping, bombing and slaughtering. The Boko Haram we have today is a much expanded Ansaru. What we see now is not the Yusufiya which wanted very much to settle a score with former Governor Ali Modu Sheriff. It is Boko Haram as a partner to ISIS and Al Shabaab”.
Davis admitted that he came to Nigeria in April to facilitate the release of the Chibok girls abducted by Boko Haram, but denied that he was engaged by any party and therefore had no obligation to report to anyone.
He claimed to have interacted with former commanders of JAS and others close to Boko Haram during his visit to Nigeria.
Davis didn’t speak with real Boko Haram leaders – Nigerian negotiator
Meanwhile, a Nigerian negotiator claimed, yesterday, that Sheriff and Ihejirika could not have been Boko Haram sponsors as  the two men were actually sworn enemies of the Islamist group.
The negotiator, who didn’t want to be named for security reasons, told Sunday Vanguard that neither Sherrif nor Ihejirika was a sponsor of the sect.

Shekau in the video released to AFP. Photo: AFP.
The source, who has been assisting the government to find a lasting solution to the insurgency in the North-east, pointed out that Sheriff was even one of the three most wanted enemies of the sect. He did not say who the other two were.
“The statement credited to advise that Sherriff and Ihejirika are sponsors of Boko Haram is far from the truth because, as at  today, the former Borno governor remains one of the three worst enemies of Boko Haram”, he stated.
“I can tell you that the group has not forgiven Sheriff over the killing of its leader, Mohammed Yusuf, who was arrested and killed during his tenure as governor”.
Confirming the claim by Davis  that he was not hired by the Nigerian government to broker peace with the sect, the source said that the Australian came on his own to secure the release of the Chibok girls.
He said that while in Nigeria, Davis never met the real commanders of Boko Haram but depended on information from a member of the Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Amnesty for information on the activities of the sect.
The source blamed what is now playing out  on the issue of Boko Haram sponsorship on the information given to Davis by the member of the presidential committee.
He said,”We can say with all amount of seriousness that Davis did not meet the leadership and main commanders of Boko Haram during his visit to the North-east.
“If Davis insists that he met with any senior commander or leader of the sect, we challenge him to mention their names and ranks”.

Who will be APC’s consensus candidate? on september 06, 20

The above question was asked by The Cable, the new but increasingly popular online newspaper in its analysis of the different aspirants on September 1, 2014, and I expected that the analysis will go all the way to answer the question.
Perhaps the first question should be: Does the APC really want to win the presidential election next year? If they want to win, then, they must do their homework. As it appears today, there is nothing to suggest that they want to win. Any party that wants to choose a consensus candidate among several aspirants must use certain objective criteria devoid of selfish interests. To do so, the APC must ponder what the key issues are right now that are likely going to influence the direction of voting next year. In my opinion, there are four key issues today:
1.Nigeria has become dangerously polarized on the issue of religion caused directly by the Boko Haram phenomenon and President Jonathan’s divisive actions along those lines. This appears to be PDP’s main strategy for 2015 as the party’s big wigs continue to associate the APC with Boko Haram without bordering to back up their assertion with any evidence. It would also appear that the PDP has enlisted the SSS in this dangerous strategy considering the fact that Marilyn Ogar, the spokesperson of the SSS has started echoing that line too recently. The PDP has continuously referred to the APC as an Islamic party from the first day it was established.
2. Beating a sitting president has so far not been possible in Nigeria no matter how unpopular he is. To defeat particularly this one will require the mobilization of the entire country, in order to neutralize the rigging machine.
3. Jonathan has currently been roundly branded, and rightly so, as incompetent and unfit to govern, and therefore extremely unpopular but because of (1) above, that does not necessarily mean any APC candidate can defeat him.
4. The unity of the north shall also be key as this will determine whether a northern candidate can win in 2015. To defeat Jonathan in 2015, APC must field a candidate who has the capacity to unite the whole north and who can be supported by all the contending and power centres within the party. The credential of that candidate must also be such as to be able to neutralize Jonathan and PDP’s strategy of balkanizing the nation along petty religious lines in the 2015 election.
So in determining which of the APC presidential aspirants comes closest to qualifying as a consensus candidate using these criteria, let us re-examine the names mentioned by TheCable viz Muhammadu Buhari, Atiku Abubakar, Rabiu Kwankwaso, Aminu Tambuwal and Sam Nda-Isaiah.
I will also examine the prospects of Rochas Okorocha and Bukola Saraki
• Muhammadu Buhari: Buhari is a very well-respected former head of state. He is straight as an arrow. His greatest strength is that he is very popular among the masses of the far North. But history has shown that politicians with such massive following among their people are held in suspicion in other parts of the country. Consequently, such people usually cannot garner the national appeal to become president. Very popular politicians of old who fall into that category and never became president include Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Mallam Aminu Kano and Dr. Joseph Tarka. That is the real reason Buhari lost in 2003, 2007 and 2011 and will lose again in 2015 if fielded by APC as its presidential candidate. Buhari’s case has also been worsened by the fact that his opponents have successfully branded him as a fundamentalist. Even though there is no evidence to support this, the perception has stuck. It does not matter who Buhari’s running mate is, that perception will stick. That is why in spite of Pastor Tunde Bakare,
a well-known Christian clergy, being his running mate in 2011, he lost almost all of the Christian votes in Nigeria. Buhari’s supporters always brandish his over 12 million votes in the 2011 presidential election as the strongest reason he should be APC’s candidate, but they forget that of this more than 12 million votes, less than 250,000 v

Somalia's al Shabaab name new leader after U.S. strike, warn of revenge

The Somali Islamist militant group al Shabaab confirmed on Saturday that its leader Ahmed Godane had been killed in a U.S. air strike this week and named a new leader, promising "great distress" to its enemies.

U.S. forces struck Godane's encampment in south-central Somalia with Hellfire missiles and laser-guided munitions on Monday, but the Pentagon did not confirm his death until Friday.

Western governments and neighboring countries want to neutralize a group that they say has exploited Somalia's chaos to attract jihadists and train them to fight.

In a statement, al Shabaab reaffirmed its affiliation to al Qaeda, and named its new leader as Sheikh Ahmad Umar Abu Ubaidah, warning its enemies to "expect only that which will cause you great distress".

Little is known of al Shabaab's new leader, but a local elder who asked not be named said he had joined al Shabaab in 2006 and, like Godane, hailed from the Dir clan.

Godane himself was named head of al Shabaab in 2008, less than a week after his predecessor Aden Hashi Ayro was killed in a similar U.S. raid.

Godane dramatically raised the group's profile, carrying out bombings and suicide attacks in Somalia and elsewhere in the region, including last September's attack on the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya, in which 67 people died.

Godane publicly claimed responsibility for that attack, saying it was revenge for Kenyan and Western involvement in Somalia and noting its proximity to the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

The militants have also staged guerrilla attacks in parts of the capital, as well as in neighboring Kenya and Uganda.

The Pentagon said on Friday that Godane's killing was a "major symbolic and operational loss" for al Shabaab, but some analysts have said it could bring more violence.

Al Shabaab, whose name means "The Youth", said two of Godane's companions had been killed in the attack, adding: "Avenging the death of our scholars and leaders is a binding obligation on our shoulders that we will never relinquish or forget, no matter how long it takes."

The group, which aims to impose its own strict version of Islam, controlled Mogadishu and the southern region of Somalia from 2006 until 2011. It was forced out of the capital by peacekeeping forces deployed by the African Union, who have launched a new offensive against the Islamists this year.

Kenya deployed troops with the AU force to try to prevent al Shabaab encroaching onto its own territory, and suffered retribution in the shape of the attack on the Westgate mall.

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta thanked the United States for killing Godane, and "for bringing an end to Godane's career of death and destruction; and finally allowing us to begin our healing process".

Explosions in east Ukraine threaten ceasefire

Powerful explosions in a key frontline city in eastern Ukraine on Saturday raised fears that a day-old truce between government and rebel forces had already collapsed. Numerous explosions were heard and thick smoke was visible on the horizon of Mariupol, a government-held port city in the east of the country. A checkpoint held by Ukraine loyalists seemed to be on fire late on Saturday, according to AFP journalists close to the scene. The renewed violence came just hours after a phone call between Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, who agreed that a ceasefire signed on Friday "was generally being observed".

Former French hostage says Brussels attack suspect was among his captors in Syria

A French journalist held hostage for months in Syria said on Saturday that one of his captors was a Frenchman suspected of killing four people at the Jewish Museum in Brussels in May.

The reporter, Nicolas Henin, said he recognized Mehdi Nemmouche from video shown to him as part of an investigation. He did not elaborate on the nature of the probe, but mentioned that "a judicial procedure" had been launched while he was still a hostage.

"After the arrest of Mehdi Nemmouche I have been shown a few audovisual documents that allowed me to recognize him formally," Henin, who was freed on April 20 along with three other French journalists, told a news conference.

He said Nemmouche beat him.

"After beating me up, he would show me his gloves. He was very proud of his motorcycle gloves. He told me he had bought them especially for me," he said.

"I do not know if other Western hostages were mistreated but I could hear him torture Syrian prisoners."

Nemmouche, 29, is in custody in Belgium over the May 24 shooting attack after being arrested in Marseille on May 30 and extradited in July. He is to appear before a Belgian court on Sept. 12.

Henin spoke at the Paris offices of French weekly Le Point, which early on Saturday had published excerpts of a piece written by Henin in which he described Nemmouche as one of a group of French nationals who had moved in Islamic State circles in Syria.

"When Nemmouche was not singing, he was torturing," Henin wrote in Le Point.

Le Point said it had not initially planned to go public with Henin's information for fear of jeopardizing the safety of other hostages, but decided to go ahead when French daily Le Monde reported on Saturday morning that French intelligence identified Nemmouche as one of the captors of Western hostages in Syria.

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve told BFM television on Saturday that the intelligence, which Le Monde said was gleaned from interviews with the four journalists, was immediately passed to French judicial authorities "in a very discreet manner".

Nemmouche's lawyer Apolin Pepiezep told Reuters on Saturday that his client was never asked during the five days he was questioned in France whether he had been to Syria or about his possible role as a captor.

Henin and the three other French journalists - Didier Francois, Edouard Elias and Pierre Torres - spent 10 months in the hands of an extremist group in Syria.

They had initially decided against speaking of their experience for fear of reprisals against other hostages.

Libya says Sudanese war plane loaded with ammunition for Tripoli enters its airspace

 Libya said a Sudanese military transport plane bound for a Tripoli airport under control of an armed group had entered its airspace, a government statement said on Saturday.

"This work from the Sudanese state violates (the sovereignty) of the State of Libya and interferes with its affairs," the statement said, adding that Libya had asked the Sudanese military attache to leave the country.

Libya said the Sudanese plane had been bound for Tripoli-Matiga airport and made a refueling stop in the Libyan desert oasis Kufra near the border to Sudan. Ammunition had been found loaded on that plane during an inspection at Kufra airport, it added.

"We, the Libyan government, firmly denounce that a Sudanese military plane has penetrated the Libyan airspace without an official permit from the Libyan government. The plane was carrying ammunition which had not been officially approved by the Libyan government," the statement said.

Libya is in turmoil as armed groups have seized the capital Tripoli, controlling the Matiga airport. The government had withdrawn to Tobruk in the far east of the oil producer.

(Reporting by Ahmed Elumami, Feras Bosalum and Ali Abdelati; Writing by Ulf Laessing; Editing by Sandra Maler and Lisa Shumaker)

Stop spy flights, China warns the U.S.

China has warned the United States to end its military surveillance flights near Chinese territory, rejecting claims by Washington that a Chinese fighter jet made several "dangerous" and "unprofessional" passes at a U.S. Navy plane last week.

The U.S. should take "concrete measures" towards ending reconnaissance operations off the coast of China if it wants to improve bilateral ties between the two countries, a spokesperson for China's Defense Ministry, Yang Yujun, said at a regular press briefing in Beijing on Thursday.

On August 19, a Chinese fighter jet intercepted a U.S. Navy Poseidon patrol plane in the South China Sea about 135 miles east of the Chinese island of Hainan, coming as close as 20 feet at one point, according to the Pentagon.

The armed Chinese aircraft crossed close beneath the P-8 Poseidon three times, according to U.S. Defense Department spokesman Rear. Adm. John Kirby, who described the maneuvers as "pretty aggressive, very unprofessional."

traffic warden escapes death in abuja

this what happens when you don't obey traffic. the angry man decking the offender

Ebola: Schools Now To Reopen Sept 22

THE Federal Government has announced that the resumption date for public and private primary and secondary schools across the country has been reviewed for the second time from October 13 to September 22.

  The decision to review the earlier date of October 13 announced on August 26 by Minister of Education, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, followed favourable reports on the containment of the Ebola virus disease by the Presidential Technical Committee set up to advise the government following the outbreak of the disease on July 20 this year.

  Briefing journalist shortly after an emergency meeting with all the Commissioners of Education in the 36 states of the federation and FCT, Mallam Shekarau disclosed that based on advice from experts and the containment measures that had been taken on the disease, there was a need for schools to resume earlier than announced.

   His words: “After long deliberations and taking into consideration the well-being of the students and the time required to put in place checks and balances in line with the preventive measures in view of the wide spread of our schools in all the federation, we have now agreed that primary and secondary school, public and private, will reopen and begin formal classes on Monday 22nd of September, 2014.

    “In consideration of the directives of the Federal Executive Council Meeting presided by Mr. President that in view of the positive progress report given to the Executive Council at its last meeting by the Federal Minister of Health that Nigeria is almost close to totally overcoming the Ebola Virus Disease epidemic, we decided to call this emergency meeting to consult with all the state ministries of education to decide the next line of action to recall our students back to school.

    “We take into consideration the need to put in place safety preventive measures in our schools before we reopen. This led to the forum of the minister and commissioners of education to direct that no school should reopen earlier than the 13th of October then.

    Shekarau instructed all state ministries of education to ensure that at least two staff in each school, both public and private, are trained by appropriate health workers on how to handle any suspected case of Ebola before the new opening date.

    “Those states that are yet to access the basic requirement in their schools, public and private in terms of temperature measuring thermometer, should please do the same in line with our earlier agreement that a minimum of two pieces of such equipment should be made available to schools to enable the trained staff and the school management to measure the temperature of the children as they come to school as part of the preventive measures”, he said.

  Shekarau also reiterated the need for all state ministries of education to put in place a rapid response team to address any possible reported or suspected case of Ebola.

   “As we have been advised by the Ministry of Health, any rumor should not just be dismissed by the wave of the hand, it should be taken note of, followed up, verified and the verification made known and acted upon”.

  He further called upon all state ministries of education to ensure that all public and private schools are provided with steady supply of water and soap, adding that there was a need for students to be sensitized on cultivating the habit of regular washing of their hands.

  The minister urged all the stakeholders in the education sector to revisit and rebuild school health programmes to ensure sustainable health programmes in the schools.

Boko Haram: DSS Invites Sheriff, Exonerates Ihejirika

Says Australian Negotiator, Stephen Davis, Lied

• Ogwuche Speaks, Says ‘I’m Not A Terrorist’

ALL seems not to be going well with erstwhile Governor of Borno State, Ali Modu Sheriff, as the Department of State Security (DSS) has invited him to answer questions regarding allegations of his involvement with the Boko Haram sect.

     At a press briefing yesterday in Abuja, spokesperson of the DSS, Marilyn Ogar said Sheriff had honoured two previous invitations and is being invited by the service for the third time to clarify some of the lingering allegations made against him.

   “The former governor has been invited twice by this service and the service has also invited him again. I want us to know that there is nothing this service has done, when it comes to investigation and we don’t bring to the public through the media. We shouldn’t allow people to use our liberal nature to perpetrate all kinds of evil against our society,” she said.

   Meanwhile, the DSS has also said Stephen Davis, the Australian who claimed to have come to negotiate with the terrorists, lied. But it exonerated former Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Azubuike Ihejirika (retired) of complicity as alleged by.

   On Davis who brought the allegations against Ihejirika in the first place during an interview published in the Cable, an online medium last month, Ogar said Davis “a self appointed Australian negotiator on Boko Haram” lied.

    She faulted the statement credited to Davis that an official of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) who handled the funding of the Nyanya bombing, is an uncle to three of the arrested suspects undergoing interrogation.

    “For the avoidance of doubt, we wish to state that of the six  suspects in our custody, none is related to anybody by blood. In other words, none is a cousin or nephew to any other and only two suspects namely Yau Saidu and Anas Isah, have ever lived together at the makeshift clinic called Kishi Clinic operated by Rufai Tsiga, a co-mastermind of the bomb blast who is still at large,” Ogar said.

    On the allegation against Ihejirika, she said it is wicked to link a man who has sacrificed so much for his country to such an enterprise, especially considering that he led the fight against the insurgency while in service.

   “Its absolutely uncharitable for us as Nigerians to accuse somebody who laid down his life in pursuing these people to accept that he can be in any way associated with the same group he was pursuing.

  “The military, in collaboration with this service, succeeded in ending their activities in Kano, Okene and other parts of Nigeria and pushed them to Sambissa forest. Is it the same man we want to say, because he is no longer in officer, that is involved? I think this is wicked. This should not be the way we should reward people who lay down their lives to secure the country for us”, she added.

   Meanwhile, for the first time since he was extradited from Sudan, Aminu Ogwuche, the alleged co-mastermind of the Nyanya bombing, spoke to the media yesterday as he claimed that he was not in the country at the time the act was committed.

  He said he had no previous encounter with any terrorist group, but once sent money to the widows of some terrorists who were killed in Maiduguri out of sympathy.

    When asked if he had done the same for the widows of the men killed in churches by the insurgents, Ogwuche said he is a philanthropist and has being assisting different people but did not think of those categories of widows.

   Although he confirmed that he was arrested but jumped bail, he failed to explain why he did that nor why he deserted the Army, saying: “I left the Army because I wanted to go and study. I studied Islamic studies and was a member of a pressure group in the UK, but I’m not a terrorist”.

    The Maiduguri branch of the Nigerian Bar

Maiduguri On The Brink

all began like a protest against the system and to ensure the enforcement of Sharia in the northern parts of the country, and then it spread to other parts of the country. Now the Boko Haram insurgency is assuming a new dimension and threatening the territorial integrity of Nigeria.

  From operating in their notorious Sambisa Forest fortress, the group has come to the open, capturing swathes of territories, particularly the strategic border town of Gwoza.

  Buoyed by the successes, the sect has gone ahead to take more territories, including Bama, the second largest town in the state, and still counting, with Maiduguri in their sight.

  In Maiduguri, the situation has been tense with residents from neighbouring communities trooping into the state capital, just as Nigerian troops move to curtail the Boko Haram onslaught.

  The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said yesterday that as the military attempts to reclaim Bama, more residents of the besieged border town continue to flee to Maiduguri, the state capital for safety and other basic needs of life before returning to their respective community and villages.

  Speaking yesterday in a telephone interview on the state of resettlement camps, its Northeast Zonal Coordinator, Mohammed Kanar, disclosed that the increase in the number of displaced persons has made the state government to establish another camp at Government Girls’ Secondary School, Yerwa in the metropolis.

  “We have no alternative other than to accommodate an additional 2, 050 fleeing persons from Bama, Konduga and Kawauri and provide them with the basic needs of life, like food, water and healthcare services before they could return to their respective homes after the military must have ensured security to these displaced persons.

  “At the existing IDPs camps in Maiduguri, we have registered 26,391 displaced persons, as at yesterday afternoon, with the Yerwa camp accommodating over 3, 000 persons,” Kanar said, adding that women and children constitute 75 per cent of the camps’ total population.

  In the Federal Capital Territory (FCT),

residents who spoke with The Guardian, said they are in the FCT because they really have no other alternative.

  Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima on Thursday said the federal government has assured him of improved intervention against the insurgents.

  Speaking to internally displaced persons in some public structure in Maiduguri, he added that the federal government has promised the deployment of military personnel and equipment to curtail the threat of the terrorist in the Northeast.

  Meanwhile, the Defence Headquarters yesterday assured that everything would be done to reverse the situation and defeat the rampaging terrorists.

  This is in reaction to the current challenges in the counter-terrorism efforts in region, which has understandably elicited a sense of apprehension among citizens and even foreign allies.

  Director Defence Information, Maj-Gen Chris Olukolade, in a statement in Abuja yesterday, while welcoming all the concerns shown by Nigerians and a section of the international community, following the increased menace and activities of terrorists, stated: “It is necessary to reassure all that the Nigerian Armed Forces is more than ever determined and committed to the defence of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Nigeria, regardless of any odd. It is not only the pride and reputation of the military that is at stake, but also that of the entire nation.

  “We, therefore, urge our citizens not to lose hope or be disenchanted, but to remain steadfast and supportive of the military, as all steps are being taken to ensure the success of the counter-insurgency operations, especially at this crucial time when our sovereignty is being challenged.”

  He reiterated that the Nigerian military was fully conscious of its obligations to the Nigerian state and remains willing and ready to perform its duties with utmost diligence.  

  He added: “Therefore, what the military requires at this critical period in the nation’s history

2015: We will arrest Jonathan if…—South-South Elders Council

As build up for 2015 general elections continues to gather momentum, the South-South Chiefs and Elders Council, SSCEC International, yesterday vowed to arrest President Goodluck Jonathan, should he fails to declare interest for second term in office.
The group made the position known in Abuja during a Grand endorsement of the President for second term in office and conferment of Transformation Excellence award on the Federal Ministry of Information and other outstanding Ministries.
The Executive Chairman of the Council, Ama-Opu Senibo of Opobo Kingdom, Chief Reuben Jaja, who made the declaration on behalf of other Chiefs said the programme was designed to showcase their support for the President for serving the country right and doing the people of the country proud.
He argued that the President reserved the right to seek a second term in office in view of his performance in the last four years in the areas of education, agriculture, transport, women affairs, entertainment and other critical sectors.
Consequently, Jaja further threatened that the Council would arrest the President and compel him to run for the 2015 general elections should he ignore their call.
“Our goal is to show support to our president who has served this country right. We feel that he is qualified to run by law and by way of performance. He is doing exceedingly well, we have seen tremendous progress in our education, agriculture, transport, women affairs, youth development and entertainment and the critical sectors of our economy.

A small plane flew for hours unresponsive from Rochester, New York, southward before crashing Friday off the coast of Jamaica, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

The aircraft went down 14 miles northeast of the Jamaican parish of Portland, which is on the Caribbean Sea country's northeast coast, Jamaica's National Security Minister Peter Bunning said, citing preliminary reports.

Jamaican military aircraft were sent to the scene, said Bunning, who added that he understood U.S. aircraft had been dispatched to the area as well. Jamaica's Coast Guard also moved toward the area, the government said via Twitter.

It was not immediately known who or how many people had been onboard.

The pilot of the single-engine aircraft -- which had taken off at 8:45 a.m. ET from Rochester destined for Naples, Florida -- stopped responding to radio calls at about 10 a.m. ET, according to the FAA.

U.S. Air Force and Transportation Security Administration officials contacted the Rochester airport's director some 45 minutes later, Monroe County, New York, Executive Maggie Brooks said in a statement.

By 11:30 a.m., two U.S. fighter jets had been dispatched under the direction of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) to go after the aircraft, State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said.

The F-15 pilots could see, before the small plane's windows frosted, a pilot slumped over, according to a NORAD official. The official said one or two other people were believed to be on board, though the number was not confirmed.

Why Muslims must challenge ISIS atrocities, propaganda

n years gone by, ISIS -- which refers to itself as the Islamic State -- and its forebears have consistently and persistently committed the most atrocious of war crimes against communities in the Middle East.

In the last month alone, it has been held responsible for attempting a genocide against the Yazidi minority sect, as well as the extermination of the Turkmen Shia Muslims of Amerli.

These come on top of the wholesale massacre it committed against the Sunni peoples of the Shu'aytat tribe in East Syria in August, as well as countless other summary executions of people it deems to be its enemies.

We must not be fooled into thinking that ISIS only beheads its Western captives; last week, a Kurdish man - unarmed, of course - was executed in front of a mosque in Mosul in a video entitled "A message written in blood." But because it was directed at the president of Iraqi Kurdistan, this particular piece of propaganda did not receive widespread coverage in the international media.

A cursory glance at ISIS propaganda suggests that the West is its primary target. While this may be the case in terms of the group's long-term ambitions, events on the ground in Syria and Iraq paint a very different picture, with ISIS predominantly killing those it deems to be "apostate", including its co-religionists.

In light of events in Syria and Iraq, the international community must react robustly and swiftly. This week's NATO summit is fortuitously timed, and one would hope that the ISIS crisis takes its place at the top of the meeting's agenda.

However, as I've said before, a strategy of solely Western intervention would play right into the ISIS ideology. Indeed, it would be exactly what the group wants. As such, it is paramount that other states -- particularly those within the region -- step up to the plate as well. Countries such as Turkey and Saudi Arabia must actively respond instead of leaving it to others.

It is not just the international community that has a responsibility, though: the media must act as well. It is paramount that it carefully considers its treatment of ISIS propaganda, with its twin aims of intimidation and recruitment.

Every time a still or clip from an ISIS video is shown, the group gets what it wants: the oxygen of publicity. Of course, it is necessary that people the world over are aware of the atrocities occurring at the hands of ISIS, but journalists must be careful not to do the jihadists' job for them.

This also involves establishing a firm no-platform policy for al-Baghadi's stooges in the West. These insidious individuals thrive on media attention, which they use to amplify their otherwise ostracized voices.

As Quilliam's last report, which looked at extremist content online, showed, it is an unfortunate truth that online censorship does not work.

Any attempts at censorship in the aftermath of the Foley killing were always doomed to failure. Simply put, corporations and governments are unable to remove propaganda from the internet at the rate that it is uploaded. More effective than government-led censorship was the "ISIS media blackout," in which users across the internet resolutely refused to publicize ISIS material. After all, videos like these have minimal propaganda value if they have no audience.

At the same time, instead of publicizing what ISIS wants, we must popularize what it doesn't.

The anti-ISIS fatwa recently released by prominent Sunni British imams would be a good place to start, because it dismantles any sense of legitimacy for the self-proclaimed "caliphate" and directly calls for Muslim communities to take an active stance in opposing this appalling group.

More initiatives like this must emerge. That they have not materialized already is testament an untenable situation in which the vast majority of Muslims, who are invariably moderate, are largely silent, something which leaves extremists to dominate the discourse on Islam.

The time has passed when we can allow ISIS to popularize itself unchallenged. Challenging ISIS propaganda must be at the forefront of international policy towards Syria and Iraq. And it is not just something for governments to deal with. People all over the world, Muslim and non-Muslim alike, are responsible too.

Iran 'backs US military contacts' to fight Islamic State

Iran's Supreme Leader has approved co-operation with the US as part of the fight against Islamic State (IS) in Iraq, sources have told BBC Persian.

Ayatollah Khamenei has authorised his top commander to co-ordinate military operations with the US, Iraqi and Kurdish forces, sources in Tehran say.
Iran has traditionally opposed US involvement in Iraq, an Iranian ally.
However, Iran's foreign ministry officially denied it would co-operate with the US against IS.
Ministry spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkham told Iran's Press TV the report was not correct.
Tehran had been critical of the way Washington launched air strikes on IS only after US interests came under threat, she said.
A further indication that Iran may have approved co-operation with the US comes from CNN's Christiane Amanpour, who tweeted that Iraqi President Fuad Masum had told her as much on Thursday.
Shia Iran sees the extremist Sunni IS group, which views Shias as heretics, as a serious threat.
Last month US air strikes helped Iranian-backed Shia militia and Kurdish forces break a two-month siege by Islamic State of the Shia town of Amerli.
IS has taken over swathes of northern and western Iraq and eastern Syria in recent months.
US forces began carrying out air strikes on IS positions in August after they took over several cities in northern Iraq.

Analysis: Kasra Naji, BBC Persian This new-found cooperation with US forces indicates a change in Iran's policy in Iraq, albeit one borne out of necessity.
In 2001, Iran cooperated with the US in Afghanistan by arming and supporting the Northern Alliance which eventually overthrew the Taliban government.
Now, there is a similar need to stop a threat, which Iran by itself can only defeat by bringing in thousands of troops.
Defeating Islamic State will remove the threat on Iran's western borders and help stabilise Iran's two main allies in the region, Iraq and Syria.
Iran can also avoid large numbers of boots on the ground, as long as Iraqi Shia militias, loyal to Iran's Ayatollah Khamenei, stand ready to take up the banner and fight.
Iran's change of heart will no doubt be welcomed in Washington and London, where a joint strategy is taking shape towards creating a broad alliance of international and regional players to deal with the IS threat.
Sources say Ayatollah Khamenei has sanctioned Gen Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force - an elite overseas unit of the Revolutionary Guards - to work with forces fighting IS, including the US.

As NATO leaders meet, Russia gives them a warning

Al-Makura meets Jonathan, dismisses fresh impeachment plot

Governor Tanko Al-Makura of Nasarawa State on Friday met with President Goodluck Jonathan behind closed door at the Presidential Villa over the recent bloody clashes in the state.
The governor dismissed fresh plot by the Nasarawa State House of Assembly to remove him from office after an impeachment panel exonerated him of the charges leveled against him by the state lawmakers.
The governor, who spoke with state house correspondents after his meeting with Jonathan, described the alleged fresh moves by members of the state House of Assembly to impeach him as “speculative”.
There have been insinuations that the President, who is of the Peoples Democratic Party, was behind the repeated plots to remove the governor, who is a member of the opposition All Progressives Congress.
The governor, who refused to elaborate on the alleged fresh plot to remove him by the state legislators, said he would only act as events unfolded.
“That (the alleged fresh impeachment plot) is within the realm of speculation. I don’t want to respond to speculation. But once we get to the bridge, we will cross it,” he said.
The governor told journalists that his mission at the presidential villa was to update President Jonathan on the ethnic clashes in the state, while assuring that his administration would ensure that lasting peace was restored in the state.
He said, “As you all know the President is the leader of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I have to come to update him on the situation in my state.
“You are aware that we have faced some certain security challenges in my state, but by God’s grace we are on top of the situation. My purpose of visiting Mr. President is to give him update on what is happening in the state and I can assure you that things are calming down now, we are on top of the situation now.”
He said in addition to ongoing police investigation on the clashes, his administration had set up a Judicial Commission of Inquiry and that part of the recommendations contained in the commission’s White Paper were already being implemented.
He said, “Government has already gone a step further, by setting up a judicial commission of inquiry and the white paper is already out. Government has started implementing some aspects of the white paper, especially the administrative aspect that is within the responsibility of the government.
“I’m very much aware that police are intensifying their investigations to bring offenders to book. It is the result of that investigation that facilitate proper prosecution of criminals to be brought to book. So you hear from us very soon. Meanwhile, the administrative implementation of the white paper is ongoing.”
He said as another means of ensuring lasting peace in the state, the government recently organised peace summit involving various stakeholders and had also embarked on “community-based resolution mechanism”.
He said, “We found it very necessary to invite all stakeholders for what we called peace summit, because we have come to realise that the issue of security should not be left in the hands of government, or security operatives alone.”

Ukraine, rebels sign ceasefire deal as EU leaders consider sanctions on Russia

President Barack Obama said he was hopeful but skeptical that a ceasefire in Ukraine would hold, questioning if pro-Russian rebels would adhere to it.

Obama, speaking at the end of a NATO summit in Wales, added that NATO was "fully united in support of Ukraine's sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and ability to defend itself."

Member nations would send nonlethal military aid and help modernize Ukraine's security forces while the United States and European allies finalize measures "to deepen and broaden sanctions" against Russia, he said.

"Russia's aggression against Ukraine threatens our vision of a Europe that is whole, free and at peace." he said.

Speaking to reporters at the same summit, Poroshenko said the ceasefire deal was based on his peace plan and an agreement reached in a phone call this week with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

He said the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of Ukraine were key to the 12-point plan. He also said he hoped the exchange of prisoners would start in the near future, perhaps as soon as Saturday.

Poroshenko said it was important that ceasefire lasted, and that during this period a political dialogue should continue on restoring peace and stability to the Luhansk and Donetsk regions.

"We are ready to provide significant steps, including the decentralization of power," he said, as well as greater economic freedoms for the Luhansk and Donetsk regions and guarantees that their culture and language be respected. Many in the region are Russian speaking.

The self-styled Donetsk People's Republic Twitter feed also said the ceasefire had been signed and that it would come into effect at 6 p.m. local time.

However, the ceasefire does not mean the end of the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic, separatist leaders said at a televised news conference after signing it.

Poroshenko has asked his foreign minister and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which already has international observers in Ukraine, to monitor compliance with the ceasefire.

Unresponsive plane crashes off the coast of Jamaica

The small unresponsive plane that flew south over the United States into the Caribbean Sea has crashed off the coast of Jamaica, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

F-15 pilots tracking the unresponsive plane could see, before the small plane's windows frosted, a pilot slumped over, a NORAD official said. The official said one or two other people are believed to be on board, though the number has not been confirmed.

The pilot of the unresponsive plane stopped responding to radio calls at about 10 a.m. ET, the FAA said.

Maiduguri youths march against Boko Haram

Thousands of youths on Thursday thronged the streets of Maiduguri   protesting   against the increasing spate of attacks on Borno State by Boko Haram.

The youths, who first assembled at the popularly Ramat Square Ground, later moved to the palace of the Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar   Elkanemi, saying they were willing to confront the terror group if given the go ahead.

They said they were at the palace for Elkanemi’s   blessings which, according to them, would give them success when fighting the terror sect.

The youths comprising mainly members of the Civilian Joint Task Force, said they had resolved to enter the Sambisa Forest and other hideouts of terrorists to hunt them down and bring an end to the attacks.

The Shehu commended the over 10,000 protesting youths and advised them to always abide by the   law.

He also appealed to them to always follow the directives of the military and other security agencies while discharging their duties.

The monarch said, “I want to thank you for this visit and the efforts you are collectively and voluntarily putting in in order to fight Boko Haram which   bent on not only destroying our social and economic structures, but also killing innocent people.

“ I want to also appeal to you that you should desist from politics, religious or ethnic considerations while discharging your duties to your fatherland.

“In anything you are doing, you must make sure that you consult all other security agencies so that you work hand-in-hand to end this terrorism that has been destroying us as a nation.”

The Coordinator of the Civilian JTF, Mallam Abba Kalli, told journalists that they were at the Shehu’s palace to seek for his   fatherly advice.

He added that they were   optimistic that with their sticks (Gora ) and local arms, they would raid all terrorist hideouts and kill the insurgents if given permission.

Kalli also said, “The Civilian JTF is now more motivated with the support and assurance they received from retired military men, local hunters and other patriotic citizens who have expressed their willingness to join the group to end the madness being perpetrated by Boko Haram terrorists in the North- East.”

He however expressed dismay that President Goodluck Jonathan was not supporting the Civilian JTF whose members “were sacrificing their lives in the fight to end insurgency in the North-East.”

Hundreds flee Maiduguri –Report

Amid the protest which created tension in parts of Maiduguri, hundreds of civilians reportedly fled the city     out of fear that it might also be attacked by Boko Haram.

Apprehension among Maiduguri residents, according to Reuters news agency, grew after the fierce fighting between the military and   Boko Haram in Bama.

Reuters said travellers besieged bus stations in the city seeking transport to Damaturu in   Yobe State. It added that vehicles laden with passengers and their belongings were   seen on the Maiduguri-Damaturu road.

The agency quoted one of the residents, Saka Lawal, as having said, “I’m leaving now because people keep saying Boko Haram may attack Maiduguri anytime and it is possible.”

We’re troubled by ‘apparent’ capture of Bama –US

But in Abuja, the United States Assistant Secretary of State, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, lamented that Boko Haram was operating freely in the North-East and had shown that it   also had the capacity to strike in Kano, Abuja and elsewhere.

Thomas-Greenfield, at a meeting with   Federal Government officials on Thursday, added that Washington was   troubled by the “apparent capture of Bama” in Borno State by Boko Haram.

She said the US   was preparing to launch a “major” border security programme to help Nigeria and its neighbours combat the increasing number and scope of attacks by the insurgents.

But she was quick to remind the Nigerian authorities that “we are past time for denial and pride.”

She said, “Since we last met in August 2013, the frequency and scope of Boko Haram’s terror attacks have grown more acute and constitute a serious threat to this country’s overall security.

“Boko Haram has shown that it can operate not only in the North-East, but in Kano, in Abuja, and elsewhere. We are very troubled by the apparent capture of Bama and the prospects for an attack on and in Maiduguri, which would impose a tremendous toll on the civilian population.

“This is a sober reality check for all of us. We are past time for denial and pride.’’

The outlawed Islamist sect   has killed   thousands of people since 2009 and has in recent weeks overrun and held swathes of territory in the North-East.

On Monday, the militants launched an attack on Bama, a town 78 kilometres   from Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

Although the military denied that Bama had been overrun, the Senator representing Borno Central in the National Assembly, Ahmed Zannah, insisted on Wednesday that the insurgents were in control of the town.

Thomas-Greenfield, who leads Washington’s African Affairs team, told the meeting   that the upsurge in violence “constitutes a serious threat” to Nigeria.

Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau’s claim that the captured town of Gwoza   was now a part of an Islamic caliphate “only adds to the perception that the security situation is steadily worsening,” she added.

Noting that a convoy of Cameroonian soldiers are deployed as part of a military reinforcement against the sect, Thomas-Greenfield added, “All of these developments are deeply disturbing and increasingly dangerous with each passing day.”

Before the “apparent capture of Bama”, the militants seized Gamboru-Ngala, Buni Yadi in Yobe State and Madagali in Adamawa.

Reports also had it on Thursday that the insurgents took over Bara and Gulani also in Yobe State.

Late last month, about 480 Nigerian   soldiers abandoned their posts and fled to Cameroon during a gunfight with the militants but the Defence Headquarters described their action as   “tactical manoeuvres.”

Thomas-Greenfield said the stakes were high after experts warned that the Federal Government risked losing control of the North-East and the violence could spread across borders.

“The reputation of Nigeria’s military is at stake. But more importantly, Nigeria’s and its children’s future is in jeopardy. Failure is not an option,” she added.

The diplomat said, “Cameroon’s military is increasingly forced to fight Boko Haram within its borders and they flee back into Nigeria without fear. The Chibok schoolgirls and others remain hostages, enduring horrible and tragic suffering.

“Abubakar Shekau’s bold announcement that Boko Haram is now governing a ‘caliphate’ only adds to the perception that the security situation is steadily worsening.’’

Court freezes Dangote brother’s accounts with 20 banks

A Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered 20 commercial banks in Nigeria to dishonour all withdrawal cheques from Mr. Sani Dangote, younger brother to Alhaji Aliko Dangote, and his companies, Dansa Foods Limited and Bulk Pack Services Limited.

Justice Okon Abang, who made the order on Thursday in a bench ruling, said the order would subsist till September 11, 2014, when the court would entertain all applications in a suit brought by Union Bank Plc against Dangote and his companies.

The judge also ordered all the banks involved to, within five days of the interim order, file affidavits declaring the defendants statement of accounts with them.

Union Bank had taken Dangote and his companies to court over alleged refusal to liquidate about N5.2bn loan granted them since September, 2008.

The bank, through its lawyer, Mr. Chukwudi Enebeli from the chambers of Mr. Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), had instituted suits seeking an order of mareva injunction to restrain all the defendants’ bankers in Nigeria from allowing them withdraw funds from their accounts pending the determination of the suits.

The banks named include Access, CITI, Diamond, Ecobank, Enterprise, Fidelity, Keystone, Mainstreet, Skye, Wema, Heritage, Sterling, Unity and Zenith banks.

Others are First Bank, First City Monument Bank, Guaranty Trust Bank, Stanbic IBTC, Standard Chartered Bank and United Bank for Africa.

In the affidavit in support of its suits, Union Bank Plc urged the court to urgently grant the mareva order because in a bid to evade payment of the loan, Dangote had been making frantic efforts to deplete the funds in the accounts of his companies, and that the bank’s investigations revealed that the defendants had started diverting the funds to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, Canada and Switzerland.

One Olufunmilola Ayoola, an official of the bank, who deposed to the bank’s affidavit, alleged that the failure of the defendants to liquidate the monumental debt had negatively affected the Nigerian economy, a development which the bank claimed necessitated the suit.

According to Ayoola, Union Bank Plc has been having difficulty in extending credit facilities to small scale businesses, which in turn would have helped in boosting the nation’s economy and salvage the country from its present malaise of corruption and underdevelopment crisis.

The bank stated that the funds, which Dangote and his companies failed to pay, were capable of going a long way in impacting positively on the nation’s economy.

When the matter came up for hearing on Thursday, the motion could not be heard as counsel for the defendants informed the court that they had filed objections challenging jurisdiction of the court to entertain the suit.

Out of all the banks, Diamond and Zenith appeared before the court on Thursday and explained that Dangote was equally indebted to them.

Zenith Bank specifically said Dangote was indebted to the bank to the tune of €7m.

In view of the defendants’ objections contesting jurisdiction, the judge said the matter would be adjourned till September 11, 2014, to be able to take all the applications.

The judge added, however, that there was an urgent need to preserve the res in view of the allegation that the defendants were about to move the funds abroad.

He said, “In line with Order 28 Rule 2 of the rules of this court, an interim order is hereby made restraining the banks from allowing the defendants to operate their accounts with them, especially honouring withdrawal of funds.

“I think the dictate of justice demands that a preserving order should be made to preserve the res (subject matter) of this suit.”

Abang, however, ordered Union Bank to file an undertaking that it would indemnify the defendants in the event that the freezing order ought not to have been made.

I’ve given Igbo positions they’ve never had – Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan has applauded the attention his administration is giving the Igbo, whom he said, are well represented in his government and are being appointed to positions which no previous administrations ever gave them.

The President also said the Igbo had also benefited from many projects completed by his government in the South-East.

He said these during this year’s World Igbo Congress Day in Huston, United States of America.

The event had held on Saturday, but a copy of the President’s speech at the ceremony was only made available to journalists by the presidential spokesman, Dr. Reuben Abati, on Thursday.

President Jonathan, who said his administration’s appointments were based on competence, equity and fairness, noted that he would leave it to “historians” to determine whose administration had done more for the Igbo in terms of federal appointments.

The President said, “Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, in pursuit of productivity and excellence, we have appointed competent and capable men and women to positions of high authority and strategic responsibility in all fields of national endeavour.

“In our dogged determination to develop our country, the Igbo are well represented and in some of these appointments, the Igbo are having them for the first time.

“Some have said that this government has done more in appointments than any other in our history for the Igbo, but that is a matter for the pundits and historians. Let me state that appointments by this administration, across the country, will continue to be based on equity, fairness and competence.

“Even when some utilise politics to undermine our commitment to fairness and justice, we will deploy the principle of Federal Character to progressively correct it. No part of Nigeria under my leadership will be shortchanged.”

He added that in terms of projects and policies, the Igbo had benefited from his administration’s commitment.

Accordingly, the President said his administration had completed many federal roads, which were left in bad state by previous administrations.

He said, “Similarly in projects and policies, we have continued to do our best. Throughout the South-East, we inherited federal roads in very poor conditions.

“In spite of the highly competitive demand and constraints on funding, we have taken on most of the major roads, realising the impact that their improvement will have on business and life in our country.

“The Owerri-Onitsha road, which was under construction at the outset of my administration, has been virtually completed. Three other very important roads, the Enugu-Onitsha expressway, the Enugu-Port Harcourt road and the Nguzu-Edda-Nkporo-Ohafia road which cuts across Ebonyi and Abia States, are steadily progressing. Our hope is that improved budget and Sure-P funding will see quicker action in the months ahead.

“The Ohaozara-Ishiagu road and Enugu-Abakaliki road are some of those that have progressed to good standard. Further attention will be focused on the Umuahia-Ikot Ekpene road, which is already being addressed remedially by the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency.

Al Qaeda Leader Says It Has Expanded Into India

Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) may be a new branch of the global terror group, but at least one of its primary aims is the same as the rest: to target the United States.
  Following words from al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, a spokesperson for the new group said in a video released online this week that one of the its first goals is "waging jihad against America and the system of global disbelief that grew underits sponsorship…"
This is the system that put upon worshipers of Allah a political system built on non-religious, democratic, secular principles, and weakened the Islamic creed and corrupted Muslim society," the spokesperson says, according to a translation by the SITE Intelligence Group. "And because of this system, apostate, traitor armies were put upon the Islamic lands and the rulers hostile to Islam."

    The announcement of AQIS's establishment came as much of the Western world was focused on the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), a terror group that recently split from al Qaeda's control, went on to take over large swaths or Syria and Iraq and then declared itself the Islamic State - an apparent direct challenge to al Qaeda's authority.

Amnesty International to Release Report Chronicling Use of Torture in Nigeria

Amnesty International (AI) has said it will release a report to demonstrate widespread use of torture in Nigeria on September 18.
The report titled: ‘Welcome to hell fire,’ chronicled torture and other ill-treatment in Nigeria.

A statement by AI’s Global Campaigns and Thematic Issues Press Officer, Mr. Max Tucker, said torture in Nigeria was so prevalent that it was not even classified as a criminal offence in the country.

He said: “Amnesty International will highlight in its upcoming report ‘Welcome to hell fire: Torture and other ill-treatment in Nigeria’.”
According to him, the report details an alarming array of torture techniques used against hundreds of Boko Haram suspects in the country as Nigeria’s military hunts for members of the armed group.

He said the use of torture was not restricted to the Nigerian Army alone as the “police force, plagued by endemic corruption and a lack of accountability, is also found to torture ordinary criminal suspects on an industrial scale – to extract a confession, extort money or to target sex workers.”

Bama under state control after boko haram assault-borno govt

 The Nigerian town of Bama remains under government control after an assault by Boko Haram, the Borno state government and local vigilante groups said on Wednesday, contradicting reports that the Islamist group had seized much of it.

The attack on Bama began on Monday, and on Tuesday residents and several security sources, including a soldier on the ground, said the insurgents had overrun much of it.

Nigeria's military has remained silent since the attack began. A defence spokesman did not respond to requests for comment. There was no immediate comment from Boko Haram, which never communicates with the press beyond releasing videos of its leader, Abubakar Shekau.

The seizure of the town, if true, would bring the rebels closer to the Borno state capital Maiduguri, 70 km to the northwest. It would also signal that they have shifted tactics to holding territory rather than simply creating mayhem.

Fears that Maiduguri could be the next target prompted the government to extend a curfew in place there to 7 p.m. (1800 GMT) until 6 a.m. - it previously started at 10 p.m.

The insurgents captured the remote farming town of Gwoza, along the Cameroon border, during fighting last month. Shekau in a video declared it a "Muslim territory" last week. That occurred two months after Islamist militants in Iraq and Syria declared the area they had seized an Islamic caliphate.

"The attack on Bama town ... was very unfortunate, but I want to reassure our people that government is on top of the situation," Borno state deputy governor Zanna Mustapha, who is also an opposition politician, said in a statement. "Our security forces are engaging the insurgents in a fierce battle."

Local pro-government vigilantes also said the town remained in the hands of Nigerian forces.

"Our gallant soldiers successfully repelled the insurgents who attacked Bama, (which) has never been overrun or overtaken by the insurgents even for a minute," a spokesman for the youth vigilantes Jibrin Gunda told journalists.

Defence Spokesman Major General Chris Olukolade has not commented, although on his Twitter account he re-tweeted a comment by state television that "Bama is not in the hands of terrorists, situation in the region is being contained," which the station sourced to the deputy governor.

The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) says 9,000 people have been fled fighting in northeast Nigeria in the past 10 days over the border to Cameroon. More than 700,000 people have been displaced externally and internally by the conflict.

Shekau's forces have killed thousands since launching an uprising in 2009 to revive a medieval Islamic caliphate in religiously mixed Nigeria. They are by far the biggest security threat to Africa's biggest economy.

Beheaded journalist family to ISIS-- WHERE IS YOUR MERCY

The family of American Steven Sotloff had a message Wednesday for the notorious leader of the terror group ISIS, asking him to answer for the sin he committed with the beheading of the journalist.

Sotloff's family broke its silence the same day U.S. intelligence officials said the videotaped execution was authentic.

"I have a message for Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi," family spokesman Barak Barfi told reporters in Arabic, reading from a statement. "Where is your mercy?"


"Wayluk," Barfi said, using an Arabic phrase that roughly translates to committing a great sin.

The statement went on to cite passages from the Quran, asking al-Baghdadi why he violated the tenets.

"I am here debating you with kindness. I don't have a sword in my hand, and I am ready for your answer," according to the statement read by Barfi.

In English, Barfi told reporters gathered outside the Sotloff family's home in Miami: "Today, we grieve. This week, we mourn. But we will emerge from this ordeal ...

Beheaded journalist family to ISIS-- WHERE IS YOUR MERCY

The family of American Steven Sotloff had a message Wednesday for the notorious leader of the terror group ISIS, asking him to answer for the sin he committed with the beheading of the journalist.

Sotloff's family broke its silence the same day U.S. intelligence officials said the videotaped execution was authentic.

"I have a message for Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi," family spokesman Barak Barfi told reporters in Arabic, reading from a statement. "Where is your mercy?"


"Wayluk," Barfi said, using an Arabic phrase that roughly translates to committing a great sin.

The statement went on to cite passages from the Quran, asking al-Baghdadi why he violated the tenets.

"I am here debating you with kindness. I don't have a sword in my hand, and I am ready for your answer," according to the statement read by Barfi.

In English, Barfi told reporters gathered outside the Sotloff family's home in Miami: "Today, we grieve. This week, we mourn. But we will emerge from this ordeal ...

Boko Haram: FG Has Assured Me of Improved Intervention, Says Shettima

Borno State Governor, Alhaji Kashim Shettima on Thursday said he had been given assurances by the federal government of improved deployment of military personnel and equipment to check  the threat of the Boko Haram terrorist group in the Northeast.

It would be recalled that in the last one month,  the terrorist group was reported to have taken over some towns in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states, the three states presently under emergency rule.

Speaking to internally displaced persons     in  some public structure at Bama,  Maiduguri, Shettima who was compelled to abort his trip to United Kingdom and Sudan, said  he had met with President Jonathan Goodluck on the security situation in Bama and other areas of the state as well as other service chiefs who assured that the insurgents would be tackled.
  "There were assurances that the federal government will continue to intervene and provide adequate military personnel and weapons to overcome the insurgents.", he said.

He also assured them that on its part, the Borno state government will continue to play its role in catering for them, disclosing that sufficient funds have been released to the committee set up by the state government under the chairmanship of Alhaji Usman Jidda Shuwa to cater for the welfare and feeding of the IDPs at the camps.

He   urged them to continue to pray for peace and end to the insurgency.

Ukraine and rebels back peace plan, ceasefire from Friday

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and the main pro-Russian rebel leader said they would both order ceasefires on Friday, provided that an agreement is signed on a new peace plan to end the five-month war in Ukraine's east.

The breakthrough came after a week in which the pro-Moscow separatists scored major victories with what NATO says is the open support of thousands of Russian troops.

Speaking on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Wales, Poroshenko said the ceasefire would be conditional on a planned meeting going ahead in Minsk on Friday of envoys from Ukraine, Russia and Europe's OSCE security watchdog.

"At 1400 local time (0700 ET on Friday), provided the (Minsk) meeting takes place, I will call on the General Staff to set up a bilateral ceasefire and we hope that the implementation of the peace plan will begin tomorrow," he told reporters.

Alexander Zakharchenko, head of the main rebel Donetsk People's Republic, said in a statement his men would also order a ceasefire, from one hour later, provided that Kiev's representatives signed up to a peace plan at the Minsk meeting.

There have been local agreements to hold fire, for example during the recovery of bodies from a Malaysian airliner shot down over rebel territory in July, but Thursday's announcements were the first time the two sides have called for a full truce.

Rebels still expressed scepticism. Oleg Tsaryov, a senior rebel official, told Reuters the separatist truce would depend on the government providing guarantees, "because in the past we had some ceasefire agreements Poroshenko didn't honor".

A source close to Zakharchenko said government forces bombarded Donetsk within 15 minutes of Poroshenko's announcement of the ceasefire plan: "We'll see how the talks go tomorrow, but it won't be easy. All this talk of truce amid more and more shelling."

The announcements come a day after Russia's President Vladimir Putin put forward a seven-point peace plan, which would end the fighting in Ukraine's east, bring in outside monitors and aid, while leaving rebels in control of their territory.

To keep the pressure up on Russia, a White House official attending the NATO summit said the United States was preparing a new round of economic sanctions, but progress towards a truce could halt new European financial sanctions that EU leaders had been expected to agree on Friday. French President Francois Hollande said the decision on the sanctions package would depend "on the coming hours".

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, however, warned that while NATO members wanted a political solution and would talk to Russia about this, "We're also prepared to lend weight to our political demands by imposing further sanctions".

There is no sign of a halt in fighting in the east, where rebels have rapidly advanced in the past week, backed by what Kiev and NATO say is the support of thousands of Russian troops with artillery and tanks. Moscow denies its troops are there.

US warns Nigeria that Boko Haram violence threatens its future

The United States on Thursday said it was concerned by increasing Boko Haram violence and territorial gains in Nigeria, warning that the deteriorating situation threatened the African giant's future.Boko Haram, which has been waging a violent insurgency that has claimed thousands of lives since 2009, has in recent weeks overrun and held swathes of territory in Nigeria's far northeast.

The militants on Monday reportedly took over Bama, 70 kilometres (45 miles) from the Borno state capital, Maiduguri, where 10,000 youths, former soldiers and police gathered on Thursday vowing to push back the advance.

Multiple testimonies from residents who have been fleeing Bama all week contradicted military claims that soldiers still held the town.

"The truth is that Boko Haram fighters are in firm control of Bama," said one resident, Muhammadu Mai Tumatur, who escaped to Maiduguri.

"The have occupied the military barracks and the palace of the emir and they have hoisted their flags in both places... There is not a single soldier in the town. The gunmen are in control."

US Assistant Secretary of State Linda Thomas-Greenfield said Washington was "very troubled by the apparent capture of Bama and the prospects of an attack on Maiduguri".

And in a thinly veiled reference to Abuja's insistence that Nigerian sovereignty remained intact, she added: "This is a sober reality check for all of us.

"We are past time for denial and pride."

Maiduguri is home to an estimated one million people, but numbers have swollen as residents from elsewhere in Borno have flocked to the city to escape the bloodshed.

More than 700,000 had been internally displaced, with the violence battering an already fragile local economy, hitting food supplies and threatening to disenfranchise voters at next year's elections, Thomas-Greenfield said.

The United Nations said on Tuesday that at least 9,000 Nigerians had fled to Cameroon in the last 10 days alone. Nearly 10,000 escaped to Niger in August, it added on Thursday.


- 'Failure is not an option' -

Thomas-Greenfield, who heads Washington's Africa Affairs team, said Boko Haram's claim that the captured Borno town of Gwoza was now part of an Islamic caliphate "only adds to the perception that the security situation is steadily worsening".

"All of these developments are deeply disturbing, and increasingly dangerous with each passing day," she told a bilateral security meeting in Abuja.

Before Bama fell, the militants seized Gamboru Ngala, Buni Yadi in Yobe state and Madagali in Adamawa, with Nigerian troops seemingly unable to match their firepower.

Hundreds of soldiers abandoned their posts, some crossing the border into Cameroon, although the military said they had not fled but were instead conducting "tactical manoeuvres".

Experts have warned that Nigeria's government was on the brink of losing control of the northeast and the violence risked spreading across borders with an accompanying humanitarian crisis.

"The reputation of Nigeria's military is at stake. But more importantly, Nigeria's and its children's future is in jeopardy. Failure is not an option," Thomas-Greenfield said.

Bama residents said heavily armed militants were roaming the town and had until now spared civilians.

One of them, Mustapha Tor, said a "large number" of troops were in Kawuri, 20 kilometres away, although they had not mounted a counter-attack.

Most people had left because of previous atrocities, he added.

"We know what they did in Gwoza and Gamboru Ngala, where they told residents they could stay but later turned and killed them," Tor said.

Thomas-Greenfield said Washington would soon announce the launch of a major border security programme, which will include Nigeria and its neighbours Cameroon, Chad and Niger.

In Maiduguri, youths, local hunters armed with homemade guns and bows and arrows as well as former soldiers and police, promised to fight the militants and end the insurgency.

The state co-ordinator of the civilian vigilantes, Mallam Abba Aji Kalli, said: "We are optimistic that with our gora (sticks in Hausa) and other local arms, we will raid all terrorist hideouts and kill them when given permission by the federal government."

Adamawa Guber: Gulak hopeful of emerging as PDP candidate

 Former Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on Presidential Matter, Alhaji Ahmed Gulak, has expressed hopes that he will repeat the feat he attained in the state-wide ward congress election held on September 1, 2014, as Adamawa State Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, prepares for its state congress/ primaries on Saturday.
Gulak won the well contested Ward  congresses with   a total  of 65% beating his closest rival,  Alhaji Anwalu Bamamga Tukur to the second spot with 15%.
Both the Acting Gov. Umaru Fintiri and Hon. Idi Hong scored 10%  each, while the former EFCC Chairman, Malam Nuhu Ribadu got less than 3%.

Boko Haram: Borno monarch urges Civilian JTF to be law abiding

Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Umar Ibn-Garbai Elkanemi, yesterday, called on members of the vigilante youths, popularly known as ‘Civilian JTF’ to be law abiding in the course of discharging their civic responsibilities.
This came barely 24 hours after the Shehu declared three days alms, fasting and prayers among all religious faiths in the state to restore peace to the state and the country in general.
Members of the ‘Civilian JTF’ who are complimenting efforts of the security agencies in the fight against insurgency were at the Shehu’s palace seeking for his support and cooperation, as the vigilante youths resolved to enter Sambisa and other hideouts of terrorists to hunt Boko Haram sect and bring an end to the ongoing crisis.
In the last three weeks, some communities of Damboa, Gamboru Ngala, Bama and Banki towns came under serious attacks by terrorists leading to the killing of many civilians and the displacement of thousand others from their houses.
This prompted the ‘Civilian JTF’ to mobilize and to seek Shehu’s prayers and advice for them to hunt the terrorists.
Addressing over 10,000 ‘Civilian JTF,’ local hunters, retired soldiers and other paramilitary men at the palace, the traditional ruler commended the effort of the ‘Civilian JTF’ in tackling the Boko Haram insurgency, and appealed to them to always follow the directives of the military and other security agencies while discharging their duties.

Joan Rivers dies at age 81

Comedian Joan Rivers died in a New York hospital Thursday afternoon, a week after suffering cardiac arrest during a medical procedure, her daughter said.

"She passed peacefully at 1:17 p.m. surrounded by family and close friends," Melissa Rivers said in a written statement.

The funeral for Rivers will be at Temple Emanu-El in Manhattan on Sunday, according to temple spokeswoman Elizabeth Fezrine. Details, including the time and if the public will be allowed to attend, are not yet known, she said.


Joan Rivers: A pointed, pioneering comedian

Rivers, 81, had been on life support at Manhattan's Mount Sinai hospital, where she was taken after she stopped breathing at the Yorkville Endoscopy clinic last Thursday.

Rivers was undergoing an apparently minor elective procedure at the clinic when she suffered cardiac and respiratory arrest, according to the New York Fire Department.

Paramedics took her by ambulance to Mount Sinai Hospital, about a mile from the clinic, where she was initially listed in critical condition.

The outpatient clinic is now being investigated by the New York State Department of Health, spokesman James O'Hara said.

NATO summit in Wales: What should we expect?

 From wars in Ukraine and Afghanistan to the fast-spreading spectre of ISIS in the Middle East, it's no wonder that this week's NATO summit in Wales is being called "the most important gathering of NATO leaders in more than a decade."

NATO leaders arriving in Cardiff will have a host of issues to deal with, so what should we expect?

In short, we should see a return to NATO's core mission of facing a re-emerging security threat from the east.


Russian President Vladimir Putin's push in to Ukraine has the 28-nation alliance focused on action -- and that goes double for NATO's new members in the east, including Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.

But the 65-year-old alliance's worries aren't limited to Eastern Europe. ISIS, the terror group that has declared an independent state in Iraq and Syria in recent months, is threatening to spew violent ultra-jihadists on to NATO members' streets.

And Afghanistan, NATO's biggest overseas commitment of troops, is in flux, so adjustments are required there as combat troops prepare to depart at the end of the year.

Last -- but by no means least -- as NATO looks to its future, it wants to build on its past. The alliance will seek to use lessons it has learned in nation-building to create advisory and training teams in a drive to carve out a role as a global security hub.

Naked celeb hack lesson: 'Delete' doesn't mean delete

The naked photo you took on your phone -- and deleted -- is still around, somewhere.
That's the reality today because of how modern phones, tablets and laptops save your data. By default, photos and documents don't reside on your device alone.
They're routinely "backed up to the cloud." That means they're quietly copied onto a company's computer servers. Your embarrassing selfie lives on half a dozen machines in North America and Europe.

Railway to commence evacuation of petroleum products next month

Nigeria Railway Corporation, NRC, will next month commence the evacuation of petroleum products from tank farms and oil depots located in Apapa, Lagos by rail.

The corporation’s Director of Operations, Niyi Ali, at a briefing, expressed confidence that with the development, gridlock that characterised the Apapa area and Tin-Can Island, which host the two largest seaports in Nigeria would soon be a thing of the past.

According to him, “railway links to the tank farms for lifting of petroleum products by oil marketers will be completed by this month.

Some oil marketing companies have started moving Automotive Gas Oil, AGO, by rail, but not yet petroleum because of safety issues.

Recently, the Nigerian railway moved its first commercial quantity of diesel out of Apapa. We moved 12 wagons of AGO from Lagos to Kano. We moved 528,000 litres of AGO by rail.

“Moving AGO is a bit easier because you don’t need that amount of safety considerations. So, we can trans-load from road tankers to rail tankers and that is what we will continue to do. As time goes on, we will see an increment in not just the amount of AGOs, but also other products. In the AGO movement, we used a third party called Connect Rail, whick brokered the deal between the Nigeria Railways and the product marketer, Eterna Oil Plc.”

Senator Zannah: Borno Govt, Military are Lying About Bama

Shettima cancels trips to UK, Sudan, state govt insists town is under control of Nigerian troops

• Insurgents seize another town in Yobe

By Michael Olugbode  

The senator representing Borno Central at the National Assembly, Ahmed Zannah, has challenged both the Borno State Government and military authorities to take the media to Bama to verify their claims that the state’s second largest town had not been captured by the Boko Haram insurgents.

The senator in a telephone chat yesterday with THISDAY said: “As I am speaking to you, Bama has been captured and the insurgents are on the prowl for any male, killing at will.”
He added: “Everyone is a target as long as you are male. But for now, women and children are being spared.”

Recounting a personal loss, Zannah said he lost two nephews to the insurgents, who according to him, captured Bama on Tuesday.
He said: “They entered my brother’s house in Bama and shot his two sons they met at the residence.”
Zannah, who is an indigene of Bama, 78 kilometres from Maiduguri, said: “Both the military and Borno State Government are lying to Nigerians, and to prove that I am the one misinforming the public, they should take journalists to the town to cross-check the facts.”

Zannah on Tuesday morning granted an interview to the BBC stating that Bama had fallen to the terrorist group.

However, the state government and youth vigilante group swiftly dismissed his claim, stating that Nigerian troops were in control of the town and that his statement was politically motivated.

However, as the uncertainty over the true state of affairs in Bama continued yesterday, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said it had registered 26,391 internally displaced persons (IDPs) as a result of the attack on the town.

Responding to enquiries by THISDAY, the North-east information officer of the agency, Mallam AbdulKadir Ibrahim, said the influx into Maiduguri from Bama and neighbouring villages as a result of the attack on Bama stood at 26,391 at the last count.

Ibrahim said the number was growing by the hour, as there were still people trooping into Maiduguri from Bama and neighbouring villages of Konduga and Kawuri.

He said the agency had started making arrangements to ensure that they are camped in Maiduguri and provided with adequate relief materials.

Also, in reaction to Monday’s renewed attack by Boko Haram on some parts of Borno State, Governor Kashim Shettima yesterday returned to Nigeria, cutting short his official trip to Sudan and the United Kingdom where he had scheduled assessment meetings with school authorities on the over 70 students recently sponsored by the state government to study medicine and petroleum geo-sciences.

A statement by his media aide, Isa Gusau, said the governor “returned and held crucial meetings in Abuja in connection with events in Bama and the rest of the state.

“He also approved the formation and release of funds to a committee set up to coordinate the distribution of relief materials and management of victims”.

The governor, the statement said, was scheduled to return to Maiduguri yesterday despite heightened fears about planned attacks on the state capital by the Boko Haram insurgents “who had never hidden their desperation to hit the city in retaliation for their forceful eviction by soldiers and citizen-volunteers in 2013”.

It added that Shettima returned mainly to provide the needed leadership, be with his people, build public confidence, coordinate relief for victims, and step up co-funding and psychological support for the military.

The governor left Nigeria on Sunday night and was scheduled to meet officials at a university in Sudan where 50 female citizens of the state are undergoing state-sponsored degree programmes in medicine under the state Female Medical Education/Intervention Programme designed to train abroad 300 female doctors in five years.

Shettima was also meant to travel to the UK to meet 20 students undergoing petroleum geo-sciences, in addition to signing agreements for other human capacity development programmes.

H